The former muddy-looking space was brightened and opened up with lighter paint, flooring and furniture that suited the owners' lifestyle

An 'after' look showing the decorating changes to Dave and Lisa's dining room.

Photograph by: Brandan Barre
, Vancouver Sun

Some time ago, perhaps a decade past, someone, in his or her infinite wisdom decreed that everything should be painted brown. We’re not certain who that someone was, but, in design terms, it seems the whole of North America took heed. Arriving on Canadian shores, we were charged by our TV bosses to paint a brighter landscape across the very terrain we’ve since grown to love. And the rest, as they say, is history.

But brown? What were people thinking? Sure, as a decorating solution, brown can be warm and cosy — if used correctly — but for the most part, when executed with anything less than a precision gun, it will muddy space, leaving in its wake a depressingly dowdy feel.

We’re going take a quick peek at what could have been done by our clients, an energetic young couple called Dave and Lisa, had they wielded the brown brush more carefully.

Had they cleared space of cross-purposing clutter (the gym equipment, for example, or perhaps the organ) the room might have breathed more easily. If they’d chosen to add white painted lay-on panelling below the chair rail, they’d have successfully linked the furniture’s white notes to their decorating efforts. Or if they had removed the chair rail and used the master colour as an accent on two walls, then a degree of visual layering might have emerged.

By their own admission, what they owned had been given to them by friends and family, but now they wanted to personalize their space.

Dave and Lisa, we soon discovered, are a fun-loving pair and their simple insistence was that the dining room should be fresh and modern. Their clear instruction was to strap our budget as tightly as possible, yet create a whole new environment into which they could welcome friends and family, safe in the knowledge that no one would be smirking at their, ahem, taste.

- Wall colour

Commanding all the expansive qualities of white, we specified the merest hint of colour via this delicate lilac shade. Warming, yet fresh, it provides a super simple backdrop for the rest of the update.

- Flooring

The previous flooring — dusky pink carpet — had all the allure of what you might find in a maximum security twilight home. Undeterred, we tore it up to make way for silky smooth, light-toned ash. Far more serviceable than its predecessor and a great piece of future proofing for real estate value, the simple lumber helps reflect light and will last for years and years.

- Mix and match furniture

To tailor the project and provide a foil to the lumber elements elsewhere, we crowded a large wooden table (positioned lengthwise to visually elongate the room) with reproduction Eiffel chairs. These ones, which cost $116 each, have a surprisingly good comfort quotient and, composed as they are of moulded acrylic on a chromed metal base, they’ll throw off the thrills and spills of even the rowdiest dinner party. One wipe with a cloth soaked in dishwashing soap and they’ll sparkle like new.

- Mirror project

Hanging a long skinny mirror stretches the short wall and is a tried and tested way of bouncing light. To provide extra design presence, we visited Umbra and trotted out of the store with these cute wee acrylic flower heads, which attach to the wall with magnets.

- Shelving project

We gathered several Ikea lack shelves together and painted them in the same colour as our wall spec to help them regress, thereby visually deepening what was a rather short room.

- Lighting

Dave and Lisa liked the idea of replacing their existing fitting with a funky update so we showed them various styles that didn’t eat too heavily into eye lines. With gentle persuasion, they shifted their affections to this skinny framed silver fitting with crisp white shades detailed with silver trim.

- Colour pops

Primary colours (especially yellow) look wonderful when employed as an accent detail in crisply decorated rooms. This in mind, we peppered Dave and Lisa emerging space with a liberal dose of sunny-toned accessories, as well as a pair of whimsical chess piece stools in blue and green.

Dave and Lisa, we’re happy to report, are thrilled with the results of our simple makeover.

Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV’s Colin & Justin’s Home Heist and the authors of Colin & Justin’s Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada). Follow them on Twitter @colinjustin or on Facebook (ColinandJustin). Check out their new candle range at www.candjhome.co.uk. Contact them through their website, www.colinandjustin.tv.

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